Carbon Monoxide poisoning had been suspected as the most likely cause of the deaths of Gandee, his uncle, and friend Donald Robert Myers, that’s according to People Magazine. They quote Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper who told them:

Foul play has been ruled out. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the likely probable cause of death, pending official results from the state of West Virginia medical examiner’s office. State law requires an autopsy.

The vehicle sat unevenly, but upright, and was partially submerged in deep mud. Mud was covering the lower part of the passenger side door of the vehicle, but the driver’s side of the vehicle was above the mud,

The muffler of the vehicle was completely submerged in mud. The Bronco was found next to a ridgetop trail. That section of the trail itself was passable for four-wheel drive vehicles. However, the Bronco was in a mud pit next to the trail. That area is accessed by following the wooded trails for approximately one mile from Shain Gandee’s residence, near Thaxton Hollow in Sissonville.